An artificial intelligence program launched by pro-abortion advocates directs Texas women to illegally order abortion pills via mail and advises them to take the drugs at a stage of pregnancy deemed dangerous by medical experts, an investigation by The Dallas Express found.
Charley Chatbot, launched by a coalition of abortion groups last week, aims to “ensure that every abortion seeker — especially those in states with restrictions on abortion — can easily find and privately access accurate information about their options.”
Users of Charley Chatbot are asked to provide a zip code and date of last menstruation to predict how far along they are in their pregnancy. The artificial intelligence program then directs women on how to terminate the pregnancy.
A reporter for The Dallas Express tried out the chatbot, presenting as someone with a Dallas zip code who is 16 weeks pregnant. The chatbot recommended either getting an abortion at a clinic out of state or ordering abortion pills via mail.
Obtaining abortion pills through the mail is illegal in Texas, where abortion is banned, with a few limited exceptions.
Abortion pills consist of two drugs. Mifepristone requires a prescription and is taken first to terminate the pregnancy. Misoprostol is then taken to make the uterus contract and expel the aborted fetus.
Medication abortions have a complication rate four times that of surgical abortions due to hemorrhages and excessive cramping, according to the Lozier Institute. They became the most popular method of abortion in 2020, per the Guttmacher Institute.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), abortion pills are approved to be taken up to 10 weeks of gestation.
But when The Dallas Express’ reporter told the chatbot they were 16 weeks pregnant, they were directed not only to out-of-state clinics but to abortion pill mail orders. The chatbot further advises women on how to take abortion pills past 12 weeks’ gestation, which it notes is more dangerous.
“Abortion pills are used differently after 12 weeks of pregnancy. To learn how some people use abortion pills safely at different stages of pregnancy, click below,” the chatbot said.
The link takes the user to the M+A Hotline, which directs women on how to take abortion pills past 12 weeks.
“If above 12 weeks pregnant, take two tablets of misoprostol every 3 hours until the pregnancy passes,” the website advises.
Users of Charley Chatbot are directed to purchase abortion pills through Plan C — a website that lists abortion pill providers from across the world, not all of which are approved by the FDA, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Plan C is one of the pro-abortion groups that helped create Charley Chatbot, along with INeedAnA.com and the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline, according to a newsletter from the group. The co-founder of Plan C, Elisa Wells, is listed as a public health advisor for Charley Chatbot. Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, is listed as one of the AI’s co-founders.
Wells told The Dallas Express in August that her organization has seen a spike in abortion pill mail orders to Texas amid the implementation of “shield laws” passed in Democrat-run states. These laws authorize U.S. doctors in states with abortion access to prescribe abortion pills to women in states that restrict abortion access.
“I think the services have seen a significant spike,” Wells told The Dallas Express. “The demand is very high.”
Wells advocated for women to order abortion pills regardless of the laws in the state and even regardless of pregnancy.
“There are a number of services that do advance provision — it’s something we recommend,” she told The Dallas Express. “Why not, if you can afford that? Get it, and have it in your medicine cabinet.”
Texas lawmakers introduced a bill this year to ban internet access to Plan C and similar abortion pill websites.
Plan C made a presentation on such “digital censorship” at the UN General Assembly meeting this month in New York City, according to its newsletter.